Year: 2018

Starting Line is happy to introduce a new partnership we’ve started up for the 2020 Iowa Caucus. We’ll be working with Brent Roske and his Roske on Politics program to bring you exclusive video interviews from the campaign trail. The videos will typically be about six minutes long (this first one is a bit longer) and feature guests ranging from presidential candidates to your everyday Iowa activists. These will get going on a weekly basis once Starting Line is back to a full schedule in February, but we wanted to let you see this initial video to get a sense […]

Iowa Starting Line is taking a break. Finally. Back when we launched this whole operation in January 2015, I wasn’t sure just how long we’d be around or what kind of success we’d end up seeing. After four long years, I think we can confidently say that we’ve accomplished a great deal during our time on the Iowa politics news coverage scene, and I’ve been very grateful for everyone who’s been a part of it. Now we’re headed into the most important year of Iowa politics we’ve seen in a long time: the 2020 Democratic caucus. Democrats are about to […]

We Americans are an impatient bunch. We typically don’t like to wait in line — unless there’s something we truly want, like much-sought-after concert tickets or whatever this year’s Tickle Me Elmo gift was on Black Friday. That’s why the scene last week was unusual — the thousands of people waiting quietly in line for hours to file past the casket of George H.W. Bush or to see his funeral procession roll by. That’s why one of those people waiting in the crowd stood out for me when a television reporter asked the woman why she had decided to be […]

Progress Iowa has an impressive line-up of speakers for their holiday party on December 20. Progress Iowa is the largest progressive online organization in Iowa with over 75,000 followers. This is their sixth annual holiday event. It will feature four national progressive leaders and potential presidential candidates. It’s a varied mix of speakers with a mayor, U.S. Senator, Congressman and successful entrepreneur. It will also offer attendees the opportunity to hear from both of Iowa’s Congresswomen-elect, Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer. “We’re thrilled to welcome a great group of progressive leaders to Iowa,” said Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress […]

Iowa saw more than its fair share of Democratic presidential hopefuls come through the state these past two years – more than two dozen by my count. But not every Democrat with a national profile who traveled to Iowa had their eyes on a White House run. And while several notable names won’t be candidates in the wild, free-for-all Iowa Caucus in 2020, their vision, work and influence here could easily shape how the nomination process plays out. Rising stars in Congress like Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal could help form the debate over what it means to be a […]

What is Grinnell College thinking in its fight with its own students over a labor rights dispute? The liberal arts school located in the middle of Iowa has refused to bargain with the student workers union on campus and is trying to quash its effort to cover more students. The fallout from a National Labor Relations Board decision that Grinnell is seeking could have serious consequences for students’ union rights all across the country. If you haven’t followed the recent developments, the Des Moines Register has covered the conflict here. The gist of the story is this: student workers voted […]

State Senator Nate Boulton won’t have a lot to do this legislative session after being named to no committee spots this week, and it doesn’t really get any better for him from there. Boulton was left off Senate Democrats’ committee assignments for the 2019 session as part of the ongoing fallout from allegations of sexual misconduct that drove him from the gubernatorial race. “I will defer making any committee assignments for Senator Boulton until the Senate Ethics Committee completes its ongoing investigation into the complaint filed against him,” Senate Democrats Leader Janet Petersen said in a statement. Petersen had called […]

Climate activists are optimistic that they may have finally reached a tipping point solution on climate action. For years the science and environmental community have attempted to bring attention to the warming climate by describing it as one of the greatest threats to mankind. There has been a growing fear that if the world doesn’t decisively move to reduce the burning of fossil fuels and the resultant greenhouse gas emissions, the world will reach a point of no return. The most recent climate report compares global warming to an out of control speeding freight train. Climate advocates finally have something […]